Book Of The Week: The Biggest Snowman Ever

The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll

Summary: Clayton and Desmond are strong competitors when it comes to building the biggest snowman...ever.  It's not until they realize they cannot do it alone that they team up to do what they set out to do-together.

Vocabulary:

mayor - the head of a town or city

declare - to announce

drift - a mound of snow, sand, or other material

base - the foundation or bottom of something

Questions:

Who were the two main characters in this story? 

Where did Penelope and James live?

Where did Desmond and Clayton live?

What were Desmond and Clayton trying to do?

What part of the snowman did Desmond and Clayton make first?

What part did they make second?

Why were all of the snow people the same size?

How did Desmond and Clayton make the biggest snowman?

How did they celebrate at the end of the story?

What lesson did Desmond and Clayton learn?

Book Of The Week: I Am Martin Luther King, Jr.

I Am Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer

If there was one person who I could meet, it would be Martin Luther King, Jr.,  hands down.  Every time January rolls around, I get so excited and passionate about incorporating him and his work into my lessons before and after the third Monday of January and in to February for Black History Month, so I thought it was only fitting to post this book by Brad Meltzer. 

This book shares about the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr. and sends a message that everyone can be a hero.  The illustrations by Christopher Eliopoulos give a comic-book like feel while maintaining the integrity of King's life.



Need ideas for activities?  Teach Junkie has some helpful ones. Included are writing prompts, videos, play dough activities, character traits, poems and quotations, and much more!

You an also check out our MLK activity pack here which is on sale.  

Book of the Week: Stella Queen of the Snow

Our book of the week is perfect for a snowy night cuddled with your little queens or kings. Stella Queen of the Snow, tells the story of Sam who had never seen snow and is not too interested, until his sister Stella explains,"Snow is as cold as ice cream but as soft as rabbit's fur." This intrigues Sam and he begins to ask Stella a flurry of questions about the snow. Full of descriptive language and bright pictures, this is the perfect book to introduce winter vocabulary. 

Vocabulary: 

Fort- short for fortress, a strong building

Silver- shiny gray color

Freeze- turning to ice

Breath- exhaled or inhaled air from lungs

Winter-cold season from 

Snowfall-amount of snow to fall. 

Fog-low lying clouds, close to the ground

Questions: 

Who are the main characters? 

Which character doesn't know about snow? 

Why does Sam wonder about the snow? 

Why do you think Stella is the queen of the snow? 

Do you think Stella is a real expert about the snow? Or do you think she is making it up? Why? 

Why does fog come out of their mouths?

Do you think Stella is a good older sister? Why or why not? 

How does Sam react to Stella helping? 

How do you help your siblings or family? 

Did you like this book? Why or Why not? 

This week with our younger students we are focused on comparing and contrasting characters. Please feel free to use the freebie worksheet we created for our students. You can get it here.

Gingerbread House Descriptive Writing

With winter break is looming, the students' attention span is low but their energy level is high.  It's always a hard time to stay focused and not get distracted by the newly fallen snow and the holidays.   

The other night, I was watching a YouTube video with my daughter.  We were both intrigued by the person's drawing ability, and I really wanted to try it.  I didn't exactly know how I would find the time until it hit me on Friday morning after losing my PREP time to a meeting:  Take a vote on one of the drawing videos, and then write a descriptive paragraph about it.

I knew the idea would be a bit "risky" in my room; the students would love the drawing part, which had to happen first, but would they would through with the writing piece that followed?  I lifted up a few prayers, and they must have been answered because the activity was a HUGE success!

First, we took a vote: draw a Christmas tree or a gingerbread house.  The vote was nearly unanimous in favor of the gingerbread house.  (I silently cheered since the gingerbread video was the shorter one by far.)  I gave each student a piece of paper and a marker. (Many of the students in my room are perfectionists, so it was important that they did not get to use a pencil because the time spent correcting their pictures would have been insane!)  You can watch the video here:

I was so impressed with their drawings.  Even the students who have fine motor difficulty persevered!  Next, gave the students a set amount of time to add color to their pictures.  Then, it was time to hand out the graphic organizers.  

The students were given a list of four items we would be looking for in their brought draft.  We asked the students to brainstorm, and work through it the best they could.  (Writing is so, so challenging for the students, so we were very impressed when they gave it their all!)  After having a one-on-one conference with each student, we gave them a sheet for their final draft.

Finally, we shared them with the other students and hung them outside of our room.  I was so proud of the students for their perseverance with the activity. 

We'd love for you to share your holiday activities to keep students engaged before break!

Book of the Week: The Three Snow Bears

The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett

Summary:  

When Aloo-ki's huskies float out to sea, she goes looking for them.  While looking for them, she stumbles upon an igloo that she decides to visit.  The story takes off from there, reminiscent of a familiar tale.

Vocabulary: huskies - dogs that have thick fur and are often bred to pull sleds in arctic areas ice floe - a large piece of floating ice stroll - to walk slowly mound - a raised pile fringe - an edge of hanging threads adrift - moving or floating without being steered sloshed - to move with a splashing sound through water, mud, etc. wail - to make a long, loud cry bellow - a loud, deep shout or cry
Questions: Where do you think Aloo-ki lives?  Why do you think that? Why does Aloo-ki have a team of dogs instead of just one dog? What kind of a girl is Aloo-ki?  Wha makes you think that? Why are Aloo-ki's actions unexpected? How would you feel if someone entered your house and used your belongings in the way that Aloo-ki did?  Would you have reacted the same way? Why were the huskies bouncing around and smiling at Aloo-ki when she left the bears' house? What story is this similar to?  Explain your thinking.
Don't have the book?  No problem!  You can watch it here: In need of an activity?  No worries!  Check out our FREEBIE here!

Book of the Week: The Mitten

The Mitten adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett

Summary:  This popular winter story is based on a Ukrainian folktale, and the beautiful illustrations by Jan Brett help to bring the book to life.  This story begins with Nicki, a young Ukrainian boy whose grandmother, Baba, knits him white mittens.  She warns him not to lose them because it would be difficult to find them in the snow.  Shortly thereafter, Nicki looses one of his mittens, and he begins to search for it.  As he searches, a variety of forest animals take refuse in his mitten.  First the mole, then the rabbit, hedgehog, owl, badger, fox, and even a bear - all nestle inside the tightly-stretched mitten.  Finally a little mouse sneaks in, tickling the nose of the bear.  The bear sneezes, and suddenly all of the animals fall out of the mitten, which sails into the air and in Nicki's sight.

Vocabulary:

• tunneling - to move by making tunnels
• burrow - to move or nestle in to take shelter
• admire - to like something very much
• jostle - to push roughly
• commotion - racket or chaos
• talons - claws of a bird or animal
• diggers - long claws often used for digging soil
• investigate - to inspect
• drowsy - to feel tired
• lumber - to move in a clumsy way
• hold fast - to stick to something; to continue even when difficult
• silhouette - the shape of something seen against a background

Questions:

Who is Baba?  Why do you think she decided to make Nicki happy by making the mittens white?
How did Nicki lose his mitten?
What were the rabbits "big kickers?"
What types of things do you think the hedgehog found to eat?
What other animal is covered in prickles?
Why did the animals let the owl in after they saw his talons?
The badger "eyed the mitten." What does it mean to "eye" something?
The cozy mitten made the fox feel drowsy. What makes you feel drowsy?
Look at the last picture in the book.  What do you think Baba was thinking?
How do you know this story could never happen?  Give two reasons.



Free Activities:
Kinder Sisters have a small writing activity and a sequencing activity.
TeachWithMe.com has a 24-page activity pack that includes rhyming, verbs, characters, and writing, just to name a few.  (You will need to create an account to download.)  They also have another activity pack that you can find here.
homeschoolcreations offers multiple activities for preschoolers.
The First Grade Parade offers a download and some super cute ideas that you can do yourself!